Gold, Gems, and Artifacts Prospecting

Gold,
Gems and Artifacts Prospecting

Authored by
Harve Kollman, a colorful and exciting old prospector, Gold, Gems and Artifacts
Prospecting, has long been out of print. Harve traveled extensively in the
United States, Mexico, and Canada. He worked on this little field guide at
least two years and published a limited number of copies in 1986.

Now, Gold,
Gems and Artifacts Prospecting is again available, the new edition edited, with
a new introduction on South Carolina’s geology and geography by Bob Edmonds.

Harve
Kollman shares his lively and extensive experiences in Gold, Gems and Artifacts
Prospecting, concentrating on five Southern states – South Carolina, North
Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Florida. Kollman’s expedient little field guide
offers essential and easy-to-use information including mining techniques, the
best tools for the job, safety precautions, identifying commonly encountered
minerals and gems, along with entertaining stories.

Whether you
are digging for the first time or you are an experienced prospector or rock
hound, you, too, can strike it rich – or at the very least have fun trying!
Gold panning, treasure hunting and rock hounding are ever-increasingly popular
modes of recreation for fun and profit for young and old. Enthusiasts
unceasingly enjoy the reward of invigorating adventure-filled outings and
escapades in the wide open that stir and awaken the dormant pioneer blood that
is inherent in most of us.

Harve was
fond of McCormick County. He wrote in his book, "Clark Hill Lake is as
good as any place to start. Gold is all around, more gold, I think, than black
bass. ... For a little town (McCormick) does have a few extra things going for
it. ... It’s got the reputation for having a good heart."

Bob Edmonds
said, "I relish the friendship shared with Harve Kollman during his stay
in McCormick County. The delightful, old-time prospector and I enjoyed many an
hour discussing gold mining, prospecting, gems, artifacts, and history. I
believe Harve told me he was born and raised in Connecticut." Harve had
run a resort in northern Wisconsin and at the time he wrote Gold, Gems and
Artifacts Prospecting, he was running a fishing camp in Florida. Harve died at
his Florida home on August 7, 1993 at age eighty-eight.

Edmonds
writes in the new fourteen-page introduction, "In summary, the geographic
environment was created out of an ancient geological and climatic history.
Entering the twenty-first century, development is largely dependent upon modern
human influences. These human alterations of natural landscape have created
economic growth. Dramatic transformation over the last several decades has
ended pervasive poverty and out-migration.

"Nevertheless,
progress has also brought environmental and ecological challenges. Some of the
challenges include the need to protect groundwater, clean up stream and lake
pollution, protect and replace the topsoil lost through natural erosion,
construction and poor farming practices, find wiser means of disposing of toxic
wastes, counter the loss of the habitat for birds, animals and plants, replace
beach sands lost through damming of rivers, and to plan and limit urbanization
and development.